It was a quiet café where Linda Brody and Sienna met. Sienna recognized her immediately from the grey sweater that she said she would be wearing and Sienna recognized similar features from the images of Todd which she had seen in her mind. It hit her heart with such strong emotions that she had to remind herself to breathe.

“It is nice to meet you,” said Linda, “Todd wasn’t sure about me coming here but since he has three and a half months to go before he can come home, I wanted to meet you, and to try and understand the situation better. Your dreams or visions or whatever you want to call them are like nothing I’ve ever heard of before.”

“They’re a first for me too,” said Sienna sitting across from Linda, “I’ve thought so many things since I started thinking about Todd.”

“It is all of the details that you know,” said Linda, “they are surprising.”

“I agree,” said Sienna, “it is all very confusing. And because I now know that the details I have known are true, it makes it even more surprising.”

“I believe in fate and God’s guiding hands,” said Linda, “and when it comes to you and Todd, I do not know what else it can be. I would like to get to know you better, and if it goes well, for you to meet Todd when he returns home. His daughter needs a mother again and Todd needs a woman in his life to love him and support him. If it turns out to be you, it won’t be an easy journey, and often it is a frightening and lonely one, not knowing…but if its true love, it’s worth it.”

“Ever since starting my search for Todd, there has been so much going on in my life. I even accepted a date from another man because I wasn’t even sure if Todd was real, or maybe if he was just a vision trying to push me towards finding love,” said Sienna.

“He’s definitely real,” said Linda with a smile, “would you like to see a picture of him?”

“I’d like that,” said Sienna.

Linda reached for her purse and took out a small photo album and handed it to Sienna. The first photo was of Todd in his military dress uniform. He was so handsome in the photo and Sienna could see the pride shining in his eyes behind his serious expression.

“He’s more handsome than in my visions,” said Sienna.

“He’s a fine-looking man, my son,” said Linda, “it’s hard having him in such a dangerous situation so far away. Loving a soldier isn’t easy on the heart.”

“I’ve been learning that since my visions started,” said Sienna, “and how I feel can be nothing in comparison to how you feel. I haven’t even met Todd yet and have such a strong connection.” She looked at Todd’s photo for a few more minutes and then turned to the next page, and found a photo of Todd in less-formal wear with a little girl at a petting zoo. “That must be Caralee,” said Sienna, “she’s so beautiful and Todd looks like he’s a great father. From these two photos, it appears that he takes pride in everything he does.”

“He does, and if you and he are meant to be, then he will give one hundred percent to your relationship too,” said Linda. “While Todd is overseas, he is only concerned with doing his job and getting home, but once he is back on home soil, I am going to recommend that he meet you, unless things change for you before that happens. You said you are seeing someone at the moment?”

“I am,” said Sienna, “I don’t know yet where our relationship will go, especially knowing that I have feelings for Todd. I promise you that my intention is not to lead on your son or to cause him any harm. I didn’t set out to have feelings for two men, one I haven’t even met.”

“Who is in a professional where he is gone so often from home,” said Linda, “you will have a lot to think about. When you make your decision, you have to do what is right for you. If it is not, Todd, then so be it, he is an honourable man and will understand. Perhaps, this happening is a way to open his heart back up to love, even if it is not with you.”

“Perhaps,” said Sienna.

Sienna left the café with mixed feelings. Seeing actual photographs of Todd only cemented the fact that he was a real person. For Sienna he had been real for a long time. However, Ben Timmons was also a real man, and there lied her major dilemma and it probably wouldn’t be solved for some time, not with Todd away overseas.

Sienna leafed through her mail. She was still receiving numerous letters and while she opened the all and skimmed them, most of them were simply pleas from men looking for someone – some of them for lasting love and others for a brief encounter. One return address caught her eye. It read L. Brody. She sat down at her kitchen table and ripped open the envelope, careful not to tear the paper inside. She read it quickly and then went back over it. The letter’s author claimed to be Todd’s mother. A part of Sienna worried that the author’s identity might not be truthful, and that the person might just be trying to take advantage of her, however, after careful consideration, Sienna saw that many of the details in the letter regarding Todd were personal things which few people would know, except for someone close to him, or someone like her who had a strange romantic connection to him. She was still having a difficult time wrapping her head around everything that she knew and felt about him. His mother Linda was inviting her to have dinner with her one day. They would meet half way between their homes. It would be a four-hour drive but Sienna hoped that it might answer some questions for her. Suddenly, the possibility of finding Todd frightened her more than she had ever imagined it could. Going public about him had been difficult enough but now that he might be within reach, it was unimaginable, especially as she and Ben were happily dating. Recently, she had begun to think that he might be the man she was destined to be with, but she wondered how that was possible when she had spent over a year believing it was Todd that she was meant to be with. She had no answers and decided that the only way to get them was to go forward with her search for Todd. She felt so close to him, but also to Ben and wondered how a woman could have such strong feelings for two men. She knew that if she found Todd and things between them were like they had been in her dreams before she had met Ben that she would have a tough choice ahead. With emotions twisting at her heart, Sienna picked up the phone and called Todd’s mother. They decided to meet in two days’ time. Then, Sienna headed to her closet. There were options inside but she had a hard time picking what to wear. She didn’t want the wrong impression to come across, a part of her wasn’t even sure which impression she wanted to give. Before Ben, she would have done anything to find Todd, now a part of her wondered if he was better staying in the past. But, she contemplated, things had been so good between them before she had started to date Ben, and she never would have met him if it wasn’t for her dreams of Todd. She wondered if her dreams of Todd might have been the universe’s way of helping her to find Ben, but she knew that only time would tell. She would meet with Linda Brody and see what happened. She knew that she could not pursue a lasting relationship with Ben, if other possibilities floated around in her mind.

In the next few weeks, I will be back with another chapter of ‘Hearts United’ for you. Your feedback on our writing is always appreciated. Please feel free to share our ‘Paradise on Paper’ blog with your friends and on your social media pages so that we can increase our audience. We are very appreciative of everyone who reads our work.

Thousands of miles away, Todd Brody couldn’t get the thought of Sienna Abbott out of his head.

“Three and a half months to go until this deployment is over. I can’t wait to get home and see my daughter and my parents. I know what to expect when I get there from them. I do not know what to expect when it comes to this woman who claims to love me. I’ve thought a few times about what it might be like to fall in love again and give Caralee a mother but I didn’t figure on it coming like this. How could a woman just dream of me and know so much about my life? I don’t even use social media.’

“Perhaps she’s a witch?” said Jack, “or a fortune teller?”

“This isn’t funny,” said Todd as he got up from his bunk where he was sitting and began to pace. “This is my life we’re talking about. I worry about my family back home. If she knows so much about me, then maybe she can find them. My mother heard of her search too and thought that perhaps she should meet her, but I told her to hold off. I do not think it is wise to let them meet.”

“Why,” said Carrie, “are you afraid that if your mother likes her, you’d be pressured to have a relationship with her. Sienna Abbott’s accounts state that you have some wonderful nights together in her dreams.”

“If there is some strange power happening out in the universe, then why don’t I dream of her too?” asked Todd.

“Maybe it’s because you’re a skeptic,” said Carrie.

“Or that yar mind is just ta busy concentrating on staying alive over here,” answered Jack.

“Maybe that,” said Todd, “this is all so strange. I figured I’d meet someone the traditional way, like maybe having a friend introduce me to a woman or something.”

“I don’t see any harm in your mother meeting her in a public place,” said Carrie, “she sounds like a good judge of character. Then, you’d maybe have a better feel for the situation.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Todd, “this is unbelievable.”

“Oh, but it’s real,” said Carrie, “and if she might be the one for you, maybe you’d best act soon because somewhere out there is going to be a man with qualities that she describes you as having, and if you don’t offer them to you, someone else certainly could. Sienna Abbott is an attractive, intelligent woman who has a full-time job.”

“I said I’d think about it,” answered Todd, “let’s just leave it at that for now.”

Sienna’s heart felt torn. She loved Todd Brody, but having never met him had no idea if it would ever happen. She had been on a real date with Ben Bates and liked him. She had a chance to have a future with him, but was it being unfaithful to Todd? Technically not, she supposed, as they had no actual ties to each other, only the amazing love that she held in her heart from her dreams. Todd already had a daughter and she had no idea where he lived. Ben was in her town and easily accessible. She had a physical shot of being with him. She wondered if it was love that she craved and that was why she had so enjoyed her evening with Ben. The night after her date was dreamless, but she kept waking up. She and Ben were much closer in age than she and Todd. They also had a better chance of having a traditional relationship. She wished that she could find Todd. She hoped that by meeting him, she would know the truth about what they could perhaps be. She felt like she had exhausted all her avenues when it came to searching for him. Sienna hoped that he would contact her. She had too much information about him to believe that he was just a fantasy of hers. If she had just been seeking love, she didn’t think she would have dreamed up a man who was twenty years her senior. Nothing made sense anymore and she had no idea where to turn. She did know though that she had to keep living her life. Somewhere out there, there had to be the answers to her life and she just had to keep searching for them. A chilling thought ran through her – what if Todd wasn’t alive anymore – what if he were an angel sent to help her find love. The thought was too frightening and sad to think about. She said a silent prayer for Todd and for answers. She wished his name wasn’t so popular so that she could find information online. His being in the military didn’t help her search. She wondered how much a private detective cost, perhaps it was what she needed to settle things. If anyone could find Todd, it would be a professional. However, her savings weren’t very large, so she decided to hold out on that avenue for a while. She would see Ben again, and see where that led. She wouldn’t give up on Todd but she also wouldn’t give up on herself. Ben was a nice guy and by getting to know him, she would be able to find out if her feelings for him were real.

Sienna switched shoes and then climbed out of her car. She had decided to accept a date for the evening. She was really nervous because she had never met Ben Bates before but his letter had sounded interesting and she liked the way his voice had sounded on the phone. He wasn’t Todd Brody she told herself but what if he was a way of making her meet someone else, a way of being forced to meet other people, like he was the driving force behind her need for a proper relationship. Sienna walked into the restaurant, clutching tightly to her shoulder bag. She knew exactly where her mobile telephone was should she need to call for help. There were also plenty of people in the restaurant should she run into a problem. She knew that the chances were higher that Ben Bates was an upstanding guy but from some of the letters she had read, she knew there were some men who just wanted to meet what they described as an ‘oddity.’ There were other men who wanted to be the ones to make her forget that Todd Brody had ever existed to her and some like Ben Bates, who sounded like they were just looking for a simple relationship and thought maybe they’d have a shot with her. Sienna spoke to the waitress who was seating restaurant guests and she walked her over to a table where a young man was already sitting. He got up and pulled out a chair for her.

“I feel honoured that you chose to go out with me,” said Ben, “after all of the offers that you have likely received for dates.”

“I have received a lot of mail,” said Sienna, “I haven’t even read all of it yet.”

“So, if I may ask,” said Ben, “what prompted you to choose me?”

“I liked the letter that you wrote me. It was kind and respectful and you sounded interesting, and then when we spoke on the phone, it cemented my decision to take a chance and go out with someone who wasn’t Todd.”

“You really think he’s out there somewhere?” asked Ben.

“I do,” said Sienna, “and it’s a feeling that I haven’t been able to shake. This whole experience with going public with how I’m feeling and that I’m looking for him is something that I wouldn’t normally have considered but the feelings I’ve experienced for him are so strong that I have to know, if there is any way.”

“Love can be a strange emotion can’t it,” said Ben.

“I agree,” said Sienna, “and when I decided to come out tonight, I decided that I was willing to take a chance and see what happens.”

“To see if some of the qualities that you saw in Todd in your dreams, might be in a man closer to home?” replied Ben.

“Something like that,” said Sienna, “so tell me about yourself. I got a glimpse in your letter and on the phone, but I’d like to hear more.”

“Alright,” said Ben, “well, I’m an architect. I’ve worked on numerous projects but my favorites to design are log cabins. I have some pictures on my phone if you’d like to see them.”

“I’d like that,” replied Sienna.

They chatted easily discussing their careers and their hobbies, until it was getting late and time for them to leave.”

“Can I see you again?” asked Ben.

“I’d like that,’ said Sienna.

“I’ll call you,” said Ben as they walked out of the restaurant together.

As Sienna walked back to her car, she wondered who would fill her dreams that night – Ben Bates or Todd Brody.

As Sienna walked back to her car, she wondered who would fill her dreams that night – Ben Bates or Todd Brody.

Three months into first semester at Prospects College in the Police Foundations program Adam Morissey was exhausted.

“Adam, Adam, wake up, don’t fall asleep in the spaghetti,” said his father John.

“Sorry, Dad, I guess I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. I’m busy.

“You’re doing too much. I saw your hockey coach last night. Why didn’t I know about your second job? Boy, why didn’t you tell me that you had this much work to do, you’ve got a very full plate and I don’t know how you do any of it anymore, your mind has got to always be on something else,” said John.

“But…I’ve got to do this, I need the money, the hockey I’ve been doing all my life and the school is my future career. I didn’t want you to worry about me, that’s why I didn’t tell you about working at…